Irish Constitution Archives | Teach Dont Preach

August 6, 2018 No Comments Teach Dont Preach

If religion should not determine health and social policy, it should not determine education policy either

In a recent tweet the Minister for Health, Simon Harris has said that “Religion plays an important role for many on an individual basis - but it will not determine health and social policy in our country any more. Please get that.” Please just make it stop! Increasing access to ...

August 2, 2018 No Comments Teach Dont Preach

What should a Citizens’ Assembly on Religion in Irish schools focus on?

The Labour Party has recently proposed that we should have a new Citizens' Assembly to tackle the Constitutional issues surrounding our education system. They have not identified the particular Articles in the Constitution that we would need to look at. Atheist Ireland has consistently argued that the Constitution has failed to protect ...

July 10, 2018 No Comments Teach Dont Preach

Objective Sex Education is being blocked by an ideology that “School is the new Church”

In this Republic successive governments have put the rights of religious bodies over the rights of children and their parents. It seems at this stage that nothing is going to change, as this government will not give support to Solidarity’s Objective Sex Education Bill. This is not just about the ...

August 25, 2017 No Comments Teach Dont Preach

New case shows that the Irish State directly imposes a Catholic ethos in ETB Schools

A recent case at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) vindicates the position of Atheist Ireland in relation to religion in the Education & Training Board (ETB) schools and colleges. We have consistently argued that ETB schools are run as religious schools, and that most of them have a Catholic or ...

August 23, 2017 1 Comment Teach Dont Preach

The right to opt out of religion classes is not enough to respect parents’ convictions

The right to Opt out of Religion in Irish Schools is not enough to ensure respect for the philosophical convictions of Atheist and Secular parents. In Ireland, Atheist and secular parents are second class citizens. Church and state are pursuing an aim of indoctrination, by not respecting and protecting the ...

June 3, 2017 No Comments ADMlN

Church and State: Evangelising minorities in Irish schools

We live in a Country where the desire of some people for a religious education for their children takes precedence over the right of other parents not to have their children evangelised into religion while accessing education. Non-religious families are discriminated against on religious grounds, and when most of these ...

April 13, 2017 No Comments ADMlN

Attendance at religious services is compulsory but we won’t make any effort to proselytise!

According to their Faith Formation Policy, Mount Anville Secondary School in Dublin obliges children to attend religious services but they claim that they won’t make any effort to proselytise! This is what parents and children in Ireland have to put up despite the fact that opting out of religion is ...

March 30, 2017 4 Comments ADMlN

Another Catholic School forces Muslim students into Catholic Liturgies. So where did this policy come from?

Holy Child School, Killiney, forces Muslim students into Catholic Liturgies. This is a publicly funded Le Cheile second level school (A Catholic schools Trust). This is the second school we have found with this policy. Colaiste Bride in Clondalkin also forces Muslim students into Catholic Liturgies. Their policy is exactly ...

March 30, 2017 No Comments ADMlN

School forces Muslim students into Catholic liturgies

In response to an issue raised by Atheist Ireland in relation to students being forced into religious ceremonies, the Minister for Education, Richard Bruton has again stated that students cannot be forced into religious instruction or ceremonies against the wishes of their parents. Atheist Ireland had raised the issue of ...

January 16, 2017 No Comments ADMlN

Education Minister’s plan to change Baptism rule, but strengthen school ethos, will strengthen religious discrimination

The Minister for Education has today announced deeply flawed proposals to amend the Baptism rule for access to State-funded schools, but without changing the law on school ethos. What seems to be the best of the four options in the plan, removing the baptism rule completely, is actually the worst, ...